Global Eyes Photography
The Global Eyes Study Abroad Photography Competition is an opportunity for study abroad returnees to share their international experiences and insights with the greater campus community.
Photo submissions are entered into one of the following categories:
- City Life
- Culture Most Distinct from SMC
- Landscape
- Nature
- People and the Human Spirit
- The Essence of Study Abroad
- Best Written Caption
The photographs are chosen for their technical quality as well as the accompanying student written narratives. Category winners, Best Written Caption, and the Best of Show Award are announced at an awards ceremony in April, and the exhibit remains on display in the Durick library throughout the year.
22nd Annual Photography Competition
CATEGORY AWARDS
(1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place, and honorable mention (HM) awards)
People and the Human Spirit
1. Aisha Navarrete – Trips from the Sardine Boat
2. Lucas Persechino – Bruno
3. Rebekah Underwood – Fijian Greeting
Landscape
1. Mackenzie Costello – Giardino delle Rosa
2. Rebekah Underwood – The Last Sunset on Earth
3. Sabrina Bean – A Little Piece of Home
HM. Josh Doubiago – A Walk in Vibrancy
Nature
1. Aisha Navarrete – Endangered Endemic Monkey
2. Emilie Webster – A Stolen Moment with the Resplendent Quetzal
3. Emilie Webster –Lurking in the Marsh
City Life
1. Sam Mercer – Glaswegian Style Solidarity
2. Josh Doubiago – A New Sense of Modernity
3. Carson O’Neil – The Masked Market
HM. Marie Bavely – Colors of Christiania
Culture Most Distinct from SMC
1. Carson O’Neil –Happy Birthday to the Buddha
2. Sadie Pratt – The Path to Curiosity
3. Jeson Li – Haedong Yonggungsa Buddhist Temple (East Sea Dragon Buddhist Temple)
The Essence of Study Abroad
1. Peyton Edwards – New Perspective
2. Jeson Li – From an Outsider to a Part of the City
3. Marisa Butzirus – Gyeongbokgoong Palace
HM. Sabrina Bean – Celebración de Carnaval
Judges’ Appreciation Award
Mackenzie Costello – Cinque Terre
Megan Flaherty – A Door to a World of Irish Wonder
Best Written Caption
1. Sydney Nelson – Chasing the Sunset
2. Emmett O’Connell – The Flower Field in the Fortress
3. Rosemary Marr – Sign of the Times
The People’s Choice Award
Megan Flaherty – A Door to a World of Irish Wonder
The Kroger – Krikstone Best of Show Award
Aisha Navarrete – Trips from the Sardine Boat
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☆ Category Winner ☆ While interviewing different people in this small fishing village on the east side of Unguja Island, I was privileged to learn about the variety of livelihoods that make up this community. These three women took the time to talk to me about what they were doing. Massive fishing boats, full of men, would row up to the shore with sardines. The women would fill their buckets and make their way to and from the boats unloading the fish to dry on massive tarps away from the shoreline. |  |
"Bruno" by Lucas Persechino Bruno and his family are one of many families who were visited by “Haciendo Camino,” a non-profit organization providing aid for the poor families around northern Argentina. My job was to put a face to the families and children receiving such aid as food, work, toys, and maternal assistance. Before we brought toys for Bruno, he was finding entertainment between a small bench and the brick wall of his home. Bruno was a natural subject for me to capture as he enjoyed the attention my lens and I provided for him. |  |
"Fijian Greeting" by Rebekah Underwood Upon arriving at a village in Fiji dedicated to the art of pottery making, Fijian women put powder on our faces, flower garlands around our necks, and sang and danced for us in greeting. We witnessed the beautiful art of pottery making with natural tools of rocks and seashells, and clay from nearby rivers, by talented women who carved intricate details into beautiful pots, decorations, and jewelry. Young children sat on their mothers’ laps and watched this process unfold, eager to carry on this legacy and make pottery of their own someday. |  |
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☆ Category Winner ☆ This picture captures the surreal Rose Garden in Florence, Italy. The steep hike on a sunny day was well worth the stunning view of the city. The beautiful space was designed when Florence was declared the new capital of Italy in the late 19th century and is home to over one thousand types of rare roses we were lucky to see in full bloom. |  |
"The Last Sunset on Earth" by Rebekah Underwood Prior to Samoa’s time zone shift, Cape Mulinu’u, Samoa’s most western point, was the last place on earth to have a sunset. This spot was home to many important cultural sites including a nearby cave where a strong warrior, upon hearing that his son was killed, had a broken heart so large it transformed him into a mountain. This beautiful place exhibits stunning sunsets in a place considered sacred to Samoans due to the legends and history present in the space surrounding the beautiful le vasa, or ocean. |  |
"A Little Piece of Home" by Sabrina Bean As someone who grew up in Vermont, it was at times difficult to live in a city as big as Barcelona. Just a short metro ride away though, were the beautiful mountains of Montserrat. Their stillness and size reminded me that home can be found where we are least expecting it to be. |  |
"A Walk in Vibrancy" by Josh Doubiago Our experiences abroad are largely shaped by our desires and our determination to bring them to reality. We set a plan for ourselves and we see it through, often in a somewhat robotic way. Yet the best memories tend to be those we didn’t prepare for. On this day exploring Bukhansan National Park, I did not anticipate being trapped in a rainstorm. The weather had snuck up, engulfing the mountain in the process. It gave everything a vibrancy that wasn’t there before, from the temples that dotted the mountainside to the trees marking the path. There was a new sense of life that wasn’t visible before, but could be clearly captured as each falling droplet reached down towards the Earth. |  |
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☆ Category Winner ☆ In life there are moments where you don’t feel as though it is possible that your reality truly is real. Experiencing, analyzing, and studying these red colobus monkeys was like something I have never experienced before. We walked the paths of the forest of Jozani and simply observed these monkeys' behaviors while taking notes. It didn’t take long for me to realize the similarities between these monkeys and humans, this statement may seem obvious, but to experience it first hand was surreal. |  |
"A Stolen Moment with the Resplendent Quetzal" by Emilie Webster The Resplendent Quetzal is characterized by its shimmering plumage of turquoise blue, red, and green hues. It was considered a sacred bird by many Mesoamerican civilizations and is still very culturally important today. We got a fleeting glimpse of this bird while in the Montane Forest of Monteverde, Costa Rica. It sat still on a far-off branch only for a moment before it opened its ethereal wings and flew away. |  |
"Lurking in the Marsh" by Emilie Webster Captured in this photo is a juvenile Northern Jacana living in Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica. Usually, the young are found close to their mothers, but this one had gone off course, exploring the marsh on its own. The bird has notably long toe-like appendages on its feet that are similar to snowshoes, creating greater surface area for the bird to not sink into the marshy mud due to the force of the weight of its body. As the early morning's sun shone through the marsh, it illuminated the blades of grass orange. They towered over the small Jacana as if they were trees. |  |
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☆ Category Winner ☆ Just outside of the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art, a statue of the Duke of Wellington atop a horse stands triumphant in the City Centre. Being a symbol of British unionism however, the duke has put up with continued indignity since the 1980s, when the fiercely independent people of Glasgow started crowning him and his steed with a traffic cone, an act of irreverence for a rebellious city. For years after, the City Council and police tried to remove the duke’s cone, but the defiant Glaswegians always put it back up. To this day, whenever the city’s gusts blow the cone off, the people of Glasgow always return it to its now permanent home. The duke’s cone is a landmark in the city. A couple of weeks after the outbreak of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, some Glaswegians showed their solidarity with another resistant people, and lent their iconic cone atop the duke to the people of Ukraine, with the vibrant blue and yellow of their flag sitting proudly in the City Centre. |  |
"A New Sense of Modernity" by Josh Doubiago Walking around Japan for the first time will make you feel a range of emotions: wonder, amazement, and respect. This is due to the rich and vibrant culture, which includes strong ties to their history. Temples, shrines, and monuments are all interspersed throughout their cities, often clashing with the sense of modernity we have grown to expect in a city. This particular shrine in Tokyo brought this contrast to a head, showing the traditional aspects of Japanese life (i.e. religion, worship, aesthetics) with a backdrop of modernity. Even in the middle of the bustling city of Tokyo, this shrine and others like it remind us of the importance of holding onto our traditions and heritage even with the progression of society. It was both incredibly humbling and insightful that such a serene spot could still exist within a city like this. |  |
"The Masked Market" by Carson O'Neil This is one of the many diverging streets located beneath the Kiyomizu-dera temple. This is one of the most popular destination for tourists as well as locals due to its market function, prime location, and incredible views of all of Kyoto. Before COVID-19 Asia was known to wear masks for health reasons and while at this time in 2022 the US had dropped its mask mandate, Japan was still going strong. Almost eerily, this image shows a duality between the continuation of modern daily life post-pandemic among ancient architecture. |  |
"Colors of Christiania" by Marie Bavely Freetown Christiania is an intentional community in the capital of Denmark. In 1971 it started with squatters who took over an old abandoned military base and it has since become a self-governing community of about 900 people that are separate from the Danish government. Tourists regularly come in to appreciate the art, with several artisans selling their trinkets and murals everywhere. This picture showcases the creativity, and I think shows how thinking outside the box can lead to beautiful things. |  |
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☆ Category Winner ☆ This photo was taken during the celebration that takes place every year in Seoul to celebrate the Birth of the Buddha. South Korea is mainly a Christian dominated country today howev-er, Buddhism is still quite present. Thousands of lanterns strung up create a ceiling over this Korean plaza. People can write and attach notes to the lotus lanterns wishing their loved ones well during the celebration. |  |
"The Path to Curiosity" by Sadie Pratt Simplicity is the word that comes to mind for this village I traveled to. As my bare feet walk this ongoing path, I feel both grounded and unstable; grounded in my certainty that this is where I am meant to be, but unstable in all I have to learn from this place. Let me walk further down this road and see where it takes me. |  |
"Haedong Yonggungsa Buddhist Temple This is a photo of the Haedong Yongungsa Buddhist Temple (East Sea Dragon Buddhist Temple). Buddhism is one of the most popular religions in South Korea, and Buddhism cul-ture is vastly different from Catholic culture. Tourists from the Western Hemisphere could immerse themselves in this temple and the scenic surroundings while learning about Bud-dhism and East Asian Culture. This temple is the only Buddhist temple built next to the ocean in South Korea, and many people stop by to make wishes for friends, family members, and themselves. The Haedong Yongungsa Buddhist Temple is located in Busan, which is the sec-ond largest city in South Korea. The long coastline in Busan makes it a major port city and that draws a contrast with St. Mikes and the Vermont mountains. |  |
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☆ Category Winner ☆ As I navigate through the movement on the city streets of Florence, I am struck by the heat of the day and throw my head back in disbelief. A pigeon flies in the middle of an intersection as I am crossing the street. Buses and bikes fly by, forcing me to keep my eyes on the road. I blindly point my camera to the sky and hope for the best. Little did I know that I had just captured a photo that displayed a new perspective I found during my study abroad experience. As a tourist, you would not normally look up at the sky because everything you are “supposed” to see is in front of you. After being in Florence for 4 weeks, I felt like more than a tourist—always looking for that new perspective and new angle. |  |
"From an Outsider to a Part of the City" by Jeson Li This is a photo taken at the N Seoul Tower in South Korea. When I first looked down at the city, I felt I was an outsider. However, after eight weeks of exploring, learning, and connect-ing with friends, I became a part of the city. In this city I worked, visited historical sites, ate cultural food, and shared my culture with Korean friends. The city is more than just buildings and roads to me since it captured all my emotions and thoughts in that two month period. Throughout the eight weeks, I laughed, cried, and grew. I learned more about Korean culture and about myself in this city, and my memory will forever lay here. Looking down at the city again in the end, I felt I was a part of the city, and it provided me an irreplaceable study abroad experience. Summer 2022 and Seoul, South Korea have left a perceptible mark in my life journey. |  |
"Gyeongbokgoong Palace" by Marisa Butzirus A wonderful downtown at Gyeongbokgoong Palace. This picture captures 6 women walking in the traditional clothing of Korea, hanbok. The vibrant color of their clothing is a bright contrast to the neutral ground of the palace grounds. Outside the palace walls luscious green trees and mountain tops of Seoul play out above the wall. This photo captures the beauty of South Korea’s culture and nature. |  |
"Celebración de Carnaval" by Sabrina Bean In Spain, there are more holidays than there are days in the year. Carnaval is just one of the many celebrations that so many participate in. This photo in particular was taken on “dirty Thursday” or Dijous Gras, in Catalan. It is a day dedicated to indulging and feasting before Ash Wednesday and the period of Lent. This is done through parades, music, and the arrival of the Carnaval King. The orange confetti represent oranges that used to be thrown down onto the people. I am grateful that is no longer their tradition. |  |
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☆ Category Winner ☆ The sun sets slowly over the port, caught languidly in the spinning rungs of the Ferris wheel. A mirror image is reflected in the fiery water. The port sits patiently in the fading glow, waiting for that magic moment when the sun slips below the rising buildings and cedes the stage to the flickering city lights. People linger in this in-between, savoring the quiet as they lean casually along the railings. They observe the halo of dying sunlight crowning the Ferris wheel, entranced by the perfect alignment. They’ve probably seen hundreds of sunsets in their lives, but each one is enchanting, just the same. A reminder that all things fade with time, but that is part of what makes them so beautiful. |  |
"The Flower Field in the Fortress" by Emmett O'Connell I took this picture on a group hike about a month after I arrived in Seoul. A young woman interning in my office building invited me to join her in embarking on an international Facebook group’s hiking trip. As an avid hiker and outdoorsman, I couldn’t resist this opportunity. Nearly 25 of us, all gathered from around the world, made the trek around the Namhansanseong fortress. Before I knew it, busy streets and city sounds were replaced by mountainous gusts of wind and choruses of multilingual curses. It was a grueling hike with overwhelming humidity and harsh sunlight, but we successfully managed to summit. When I went to rest my pack down, I noticed a small field of wildflowers growing between a break in the fortress walls. In that moment, I realized it was the first time in Korea that I was met with complete silence. The stillness and serenity were a reward for those who braved the fortress, and I was lucky enough to capture it. |  |
"Sign of the Times" by Rosemary Marr I’ve been to Europe twice in my life, neither time on the continent. My mother has been thrice but once to the continent as far as Germany, she was there when the Berlin Wall came down, in fact there is a piece of it in our attic at my home. But the last person in my family to be in Ukraine was my grandfather, as a baby, when his mother concluded that because of Russia her family could never actually feel safe there. Their village was invaded and nearly decimated four times in less than twenty years. Three of those times by Russia. My grandfather had wanted to go home before he died. My mother and I wanted to go after. But it became apparent that my great-grandmother may have been right. When we were in England, I saw this sign in a London window. I couldn’t help but think how this war has been going on since long before January 2022. In fact, it’s been almost 100 years, people can just see it in their own windows now. |  |
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"Cinque Terre" by Mackenzie Costello The vibrant pop of Riomaggiore’s village off the coast of Italy is a stunning sight. The beauti-ful village is one of five towns in Cinque Terre, a location famous for its architecture, seafood and ocean views. Aside from the breathtaking buildings, the sparkling blue water and warm sunshine made for the perfect weekend in Italy. | |
☆ The People's Choice Award ☆ While on a walk in my new home of Cork, Ireland I came across this fairy door perched upon a tree trunk. At this point I had only been in Ireland for a week and seeing this made it feel all that more real. I had always heard stories growing up regarding Irish fairies and the folklore behind their existence. This door maybe for fairies, but for me it was the door that opened my heart to the new journey of learning and exploration I was about to take throughout my time in Ireland. |  |
| Photographer | Study Abroad Destination | Photo Entry |
| Marie Bavely | Denmark | Colors of Christiania |
| Sabrina Bean | Spain | A Little Piece of Home |
| Sabrina Bean | Spain | Celebración de Carnaval |
| Sabrina Bean | Spain | The Beauty of Stillness |
| Marisa Butzirus | South Korea | Down by the River |
| Marisa Butzirus | South Korea | Gyeongbokgoong Palace |
| Mackenzie Costello | Italy | Castle in Tuscany |
| Mackenzie Costello | Italy | Cinque Terre |
| Mackenzie Costello | Italy | Giardino delle Rosa |
| Joshua Doubiago | Japan | A New Sense of Modernity |
| Joshua Doubiago | South Korea | A Walk in Vibrancy |
| Peyton Edwards | Italy | A Day in the Life |
| Peyton Edwards | Italy | New Perspective |
| Peyton Edwards | Italy | Serenity in the Chaos |
| Megan Flaherty | Ireland | A Door to a World of Irish Wonder |
| Megan Flaherty | Ireland | In Memory |
| Megan Flaherty | Ireland | People Watching |
| Henry Haddad | Spain | Monkey in Thought |
| Henry Haddad | Spain | Sunset Over Granada |
| Margaret Herrick | Ireland | A Curious Cow |
| Margaret Herrick | Ireland | The Perfect Moment |
| Margaret Herrick | Ireland | Venetian Life |
| Hank Kelly | Ireland | The Colorful Deck of Cards in Cobh |
| Hank Kelly | Ireland | The World is ULTIMATEly Very Small |
| Hank Kelly | Ireland | Where does Eastern Europe actually start? |
| Jillian Lebowitz | Ireland | Nyhavn Waterfront in Spring |
| Jeson Li | South Korea | From an Outsider to a Part of the City |
| Jeson Li | South Korea | Haedong Yonggungsa Buddhist Temple (East Sea Dragon Buddhist Temple) |
| Jeson Li | South Korea | Technology and Future |
| Rosemary Marr | England | Bog Cat |
| Rosemary Marr | England | Our Living Room |
| Rosemary Marr | England | Sign of the Times |
| Sam Mercer | Scotland | Glaswegian Style Solidarity |
| Aisha Navarrete | Tanzania | A Dream Come True |
| Aisha Navarrete | Tanzania | Endangered Endemic Monkey |
| Aisha Navarrete | Tanzania | Trips from the Sardine Boat |
| Sydney Nelson | France | Among the Cliffs |
| Sydney Nelson | France | Chasing the Sunset |
| Sydney Nelson | France | Ship Shape |
| Emmett O’Connell | South Korea | The Flower Field in the Fortress |
| Carson O’Neil | South Korea | Happy Birthday to the Buddha |
| Carson O’Neil | Japan | The Concrete Jungle Temple |
| Carson O’Neil | Japan | The Masked Market |
| Lucas Persechino | Argentina | Alfajor |
| Lucas Persechino | Argentina | Bruno |
| Lucas Persechino | Argentina | Lucas El Perro |
| Sadie Pratt | Indonesia | The Bridge to Life |
| Sadie Pratt | Indonesia | The Path to Curiosity |
| Sadie Pratt | Indonesia | The Strength of Bali Rock |
| McKenzie Rowbotham | Spain | Sitio Tropical |
| McKenzie Rowbotham | Spain | Tentempié Típico |
| McKenzie Rowbotham | Spain | Vista de la Costa |
| Nikolas Selvaag | South Korea | The Colors of South Koreas Cultural Heritage, Dressed in Hanbok |
| Rebekah Underwood | Samoa | Fijian Greeting |
| Rebekah Underwood | Samoa | The Last Sunset on Earth |
| Rebekah Underwood | Samoa | To Su’a Ocean Trench |
| Emilie Webster | Costa Rica | A Stolen Moment with the Resplendent Quetzal |
| Emilie Webster | Costa Rica | Lurking in the Marsh |
| Emilie Webster | Costa Rica | The Curious Capuchin |
A number of dedicated individuals contribute in many ways to the overall success of the Global Eyes Photography Contest. In particular, we would like to extend our gratitude to the following Global Eyes supporters:
Judges of the 22nd Annual Global Eyes Contest
Jordan Douglas, Department of Arts and Design
Jon Hyde, Department of Digital Media and Communications
Kimberly Sultze, Department of Digital Media and Communications
Allison Cleary, Department of Digital Media and Communications
Creative and Technical Support
Antonia (Toni) Messuri, Director of Accessibility Services
Richard Does, Global Eyes Supporter
Durick Library Support Staff
Hideko Furukawa, Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures (retired)
Claire Concio, Study Abroad
With special appreciation to the Durick Library for allowing Global Eyes photographs to be displayed in the beautiful Dailey Room throughout the year.
Sponsored by
The Office of Study Abroad
The Department of Digital Media and Communications